What Is Podcasting 561
There seems to be some confusion on the term. It is fairly common to have an iPod or similar mobile toy that can check for regular internet feeds. Derived from Apple’s iPod, podcasting had its roots earlier and may have been an acronym of Portable on Demand broadcast on the internet allowing mobile devices to receive and play podcast files.
But no matter, podcasting is now part of modern man’s lexicon. Briefly put, it’s a new online multimedia delivery that transfers multimedia files from a server to a client device like PCs, laptops and mobile handsets like the iPod, also similar mobile gadgets and media capable cell phones.
Audio, video, text and graphic files are published on the net in sites that allow subscribers to download these files via what is called RSS feeds. You don’t need an iPod specifically or any mobile device for this purpose. Some sites allow you to play them right in your computer while online.
And what is an RSS? It simply means Really Simple Syndication. It’s a web content syndication format that started way back in 1999. It is basically an XML document that contains channels that point to where the URL addresses of certain multimedia files are stored. Now on version 2.0, RSS makes it possible for web subscribers to keep up with their favorite web sites without checking on them manually.
RSS documents are read on the client side with software called aggregators. The web users subscribes to a site that does podcast-capable RSS feeding. In other words he subscribes to an RSS feed by entering the feed’s link into the reader. Clicking an RSS icon in a browser begins the subscription process. The user checks on the subscribed feeds regularly for new content, downloading any updates as often as necessary.
What’s nice about podcasting is that you as users can make your own podcasts with content of your choice. You can produce your own audio files using the MP3 or some commonly used compressed format preferred for online publication. You can stage interviews with celebrities or community figures and record them as MP3 files. And it doesn’t have to be one on one. Interviews can be made over Skye or any chat facility. Publish them on the net using an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) reader. These are then downloaded to iPods and cellphones. Anyone can do these using free tools from the net.
Podcasting started with web owners producing mp3 files and making them available through RSS feeds. It then became popular with celebrity interviews both as video and audio only files as well as special news broadcasts. There have been podcasts in specialty forums and websites on their relevant subjects like hobbies, home theater, home construction, pet care, museum tours and just about any subject under the sun. Online school and university lessons have also made their way as podcast sessions. Education is one application that enables students and teachers to have access to pertinent information they need.
Truly a 21st century phenomenon, podcasting is expected to reach a wider audience online as it further takes on different applications and uses. In the age where both young and old have some mobile toy that can connect to the internet wirelessly, podcasting is the concrete realization of that old IT promise to enable anyone to access information anytime anywhere.